3 Key Challenges for the Evolving Internet of Things
IoT is diverse, data-rich and full of potential. Here’s what to look for in the next phase of its maturation.
Use cases for the Internet of Things have diversified quickly, but most applications are designed to achieve one (or more) of the following objectives: obtaining data for data-driven business decisions; having the capability to remotely control and monitor assets, such as digital signage or city lighting; and automating operations, such as a manufacturing production line.
Traditionally, the network infrastructure that supports business is focused on indoor switches, routers and access points. With the IoT revolution, often that’s the initial plumbing required to connect sensors, physical machines and wireless devices to the network. In recent years, companies have begun to expand the enterprise infrastructure and reach outside of the four walls of the business, leveraging IoT technology to work in new spaces that were previously unconnected — for example, with switches and routers hardened for outdoor environments connecting mobile devices back to business applications. Whether it’s controlling, monitoring or automation that’s needed, we’re no longer limited by building boundaries.
Advancing IoT yet again brings up three major challenges, and that’s where we’ll see a new wave of technological evolution.